Posted on 06/24/2007 2:45:48 PM PDT by Syncro
There's a way in which journalists insert how they think Americans should stand on an issue, and you see it in stories on the Kennedy-Kyl immigration bill that has tanked so spectacularly in Washington.
Many newspapers reported that opinion polls showed voters supported "major provisions" of the measure - usually without mentioning that polls also found voters opposed the bill than supported it.
That gets in the way of the pet media narrative: popular pro-immigrant bill torpedoed by what the Los Angeles Times called a "vocal minority."
A New York Times story explained how grass-roots conservatives toppled the measure, even though "public opinion polls, including a New York Times-CBS News poll conducted last month, showed broad support among Americans for the bill's major provisions."
What a crock. If this bill were popular, Washington politicians would have passed it in a heartbeat. If the bill were popular among Democrats, as bill supporters suggest, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., would be pushing for another vote, instead of daring President Bush to champion the measure.
Here's something The New York Times story forgot to mention: Its poll also found that 69 percent of Americans think illegal immigrants should be prosecuted and deported.
No story there, I see. Pollster Scott Rasmussen found that 50 percent of voters opposed the immigration bill, while only 23 percent approved of it.
While most Americans might support giving illegal immigrants the ability to become citizens if they work and have no criminal record - a major provision cited in widely reported polls - what voters really want is less illegal immigration and stronger border enforcement.
Rasmussen found only 16 percent of voters believed the Kennedy-Kyl bill would do that.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a supporter of the failed immigration bill, during a San Francisco news conference on June 12, repeated the vocal-minority vs. silent-majority argument, when he said, "A majority of Americans support our proposal.
"I understand there's a very intense minority, that this is their No. 1 emotional issue. I wish we could have more rational, more dignified dialogue on this issue throughout the country."
When I asked McCain if he meant to imply that bill opponents are irrational and emotional, he answered, "I didn't mean to imply that at all."
I'm not the first person to wonder if Bush, McCain and Democrats who support Kennedy-Kyl would have stood a better chance getting an immigration bill passed if they simply had called the bill an "amnesty" measure and made their case to the American people.
McCain would have none of that. He repeated his argument that the Kennedy-Kyl bill isn't an amnesty bill for illegal immigrants - because they would have to return to their country of origin, learn English and pay a fine.
The status quo, he added, represents "silent amnesty," as it allows an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants to stay in America anyway.
Points well-taken, except "silent amnesty" doesn't confer citizenship.
As former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said at the last Republican debate, "It's simply not fair to say those people get put ahead in the line of all the people who've been waiting legally to come to this country."
Besides, the Senate began work on this bill with the goal of legalizing illegal immigrants - not with an eye toward beefing up border enforcement.
Voters know that. Last week, CNN's Jack Cafferty repeated the bogus narrative: "A new poll shows a majority of Americans support allowing illegal immigrants to become citizens if they pay fines, learn English and meet other requirements. How will this affect the stalled immigration bill?"
The answer is: It will have no effect whatsoever, because Washington pols know what many journalists cannot begin to grasp. American voters don't want this bill. They want less, not more, illegal immigration.
Saunders is a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. Her e-mail address is dsaunders@sfchronicle.com.
Here's something The New York Times story forgot to mention: Its poll also found that 69 percent of Americans think illegal immigrants should be prosecuted and deported.
No story there, I see. Pollster Scott Rasmussen found that 50 percent of voters opposed the immigration bill, while only 23 percent approved of it.
FYI
And no amnesty for any politician, Dem or Republican, who votes for cloture. We will hound them until 2012 if necessary.
Watch them shove this travesty down our throats during the
4th of July break! If it does, there must be he!! to pay
for this!
Syncro—thanks so much for posting this one! I agree, it deserves its own thread!
Bump :)
There certainly is, and they know how to twist lots of other statistics, too. Any time you read or hear something about how "the American people" feel about any issue, read or hear it with the caveat that whoever is "reporting" it probably has an agenda to push. This column explains the process beautifully.
bump
” Here’s something The New York Times story forgot to mention: Its poll also found that 69 percent of Americans think illegal immigrants should be prosecuted and deported.
No story there, I see. Pollster Scott Rasmussen found that 50 percent of voters opposed the immigration bill, while only 23 percent approved of it. “
Appears Congress need’s deportin first ....then we can get around to the country’s priorities!!!!
In other words: We get the same old non security on the border that Washington has been giving us for far too long.
Which is why we need to do some SERIOUS house cleaning in DeeCee. Top to botton, left to right.
Then maybe we'll get some people - representatives - who understand who it is they work for.
Then we'll get border security... and then maybe, after many years, we can talk about Legal immigration reform.
I'm really okay with that. I'm for the Republic before any party. And the Republic has an infection. An infection of a Political Class who consider themselves above the people they work for.
This has been going on for far too long as I mentioned, and it NEEDS to change. Otherwise the Republic will be lost.
Just say NO to Illegal Alien Amnesty!! Keep calling!! It’s NOT OVER!!
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